Montclair Board of Education Welcomes Dr. Nathan Parker Interim Superintendent
Dr. Nathan Parker is the founder of
From Dreams to Reality, which focuses on his interests –
Systemic School District Change, Alternatives to Violence, and
Reducing Racial/Ethnic Isolation in Schools. He takes the helm at Montclair Public Schools as Interim Superintendent effective Monday, August 19, 2019.
He collaborated on a recently published book,
Breakthroughs in Education.
Dr. Parker served as Summit Public Schools Superintendent in Summit, NJ from 2008 to 2015. Under his leadership, the Summit schools earned recognition on a local, state and national level in academics, athletics, arts and community service.
Prior to going to Summit, he was Superintendent for the Orange Public Schools in the City of Orange, NJ from 2003 until 2008. During his tenure, the Orange Public Schools became a leader in universal Pre-K education, closed the “achievement gap,” and piloted the New Jersey SEED program, which prepared low income students for the most competitive colleges in the country.
From 1991 to 2003, he served as Superintendent of Schools for the Upper Saddle River Public School District in Upper Saddle River, NJ. He created a strategic plan,
Visions 2000: Upper Saddle River Schools to Believe In.
Dr. Parker was Assistant Superintendent in Bedford Central School District, Mt. Kisco, NY and Assistant to the Superintendent in Nyack, NY.
Dr. Parker received his doctorate at Teachers College, Columbia University. His doctoral thesis was entitled,
A Comparison of the Work of Public and Private Elementary School Principals. He received an M.A.T. from the University of Chicago and a B.A. from Kenyon College in Gambier, OH. He has three children and six grandchildren.